Reminiscent of Mary Oliver’s A Thousand Mornings and Amanda Thomson’s Belonging, this evocative blend of poetry, prose, and personal letters unfurls a story of an untamed, beautiful place—and one woman’s choice to spend the last chapter of her life making it her home.

At age sixty-two, Fern started a new life.

Recently widowed, she found a piece of neglected acreage above the Snake River on which to build a home, forge a community—and find renewed purpose. On the land around Fern’s Pond, she nurtured a vineyard, an abundant garden, and a small farm of sheep, one cow, a goat, and chickens. She befriended wild ducks and harvested trout in her waters, and she used the materials that grew around the pond and springs to weave baskets—unique works of art that captured the elegance of the natural world.

Songs from Fern’s Pond is a collage of poetry, letters, and prose that captures the universal resilience of the human spirit through the humor and courage of a woman who fearlessly pursued the life she dreamed of. A duet of text between mother and daughter, it’s a transcendent vision of the rough, wild, and beautiful landscape of the heart—and a reminder that every chapter is worth living to its fullest.